News, 4/24/2018

Development Policy Committee Visited Nepal

Smallholder Farming in Ajaymeru

Development Policy Committee, or DPC, is appointed by the Finnish government to monitor and evaluate Finnish development cooperation and policy. The reports and statements of DPC have an impact on the decision making relating to Finnish development policy. The members of the Committee include members of the Finnish parliament as well as representatives from NGO´s and academic circles.

An important part of the activities of DPC are visits, where the Committee explores the situation of the cooperation countries and the development cooperation Finland does there. This year the visit took place in Nepal.

DPC got acquainted with the Finnish co-funded development projects and the social situation in Nepal in mid-April 2018. The field part of the visit took place in the Far-West. There DPC visited villages where Finland, together with the Government of Nepal, has water and sanitation –related development projects. In the villages, DPC observed water toilets, public water taps as well as smallholder farming sites, which are results of the projects. Furthermore, DPC visited the Ministry of Education and learned about the latest news on the cooperation going on in the education sector. In addition, a wide range of NGO´s presented their activities in Nepal.

In the visit, DPC got familiar with the operational environment of the Finnish development cooperation in Nepal. Especially the on-going federalization process and its possible implications in the continuity of the cooperation stimulated discussion. However, with continuing cooperation all the way from the eighties in Nepal, Finland has a reputation of a reliable development partner in Nepal. This helps maintaining sustained and successful cooperation. As DPC witnessed, the results of this cooperation are concrete. These include enhanced access to clean water and sanitation in the remote villages of the Far-West as well as higher quality learning outcomes in the local schools.